The most important part of beekeeping is to do with the hive itself because it's where the colony spends the majority of its time. Over the years, the beekeeping community have made substantial improvements on hives to permit removing honey an easier task.
Langstroth Hives
The universal standard in beekeeping hives is the Langstroth hive and this is what is most used in the United States. The Langstroth is a "movable frame" hive and the structure is wooden, rectangular and held inside are the combs. Generally, there are up to ten of these combs within the frame at any one time. The astonishing thing with these particular frames is that they don't have a top or bottom - the combs just hang inside of their own accord. The structure of the combs themselves is comprised of a sheet of wax or plastic. The wax sheets enable the bees to put together more wax to make the honeycomb. The bees will then deposit the honey and the pollen into the cells of the comb once complete. The design of the box is to allow the removal of the frames that are saturated with the honey that is to be extracted.
Top-Bar Hives
In Africa the top-bar hives are very common. For hobbyists, these are becoming more popular in the United States. Top-bar hives have bars along the top and the honey bees use the bars to suspend their wax combs from. As the frames used in a Langstroth hive can be re-used, the combs used on bars cannot be re-used following the extraction of the honey. This particular design does not support the high production of honey. The value of a top-bar is that the honey that comes from the clear yellow combs is of the highest possible quality and can be sold as an in-comb honey food product.
The Placement of Your Hive
When one is considering keeping a beehive on the property, there are other factors that come into play other than the design of the hive itself. First, a beekeeper needs to look at the local government guidelines to see if there any restrictions to actually keeping bees. The space available on your block of land and the placement of the hive also need to be looked at. A bee hive should not be placed in close proximity to homes, schools or other obvious places of recreation such as parks. Some people find bees bothersome, particularly for those who are known to suffer allergies to the sting of a bee. It's advised to place a beehive close to where the bees can easily get to a food source. In some cases, beekeepers use their bees purely to pollinate their crops. Preferably, a beehive should be close to fresh water. The beekeeper can provide this if a natural source is not available. Something else to think about concerning the position of the hive are predators such as skunks, racoons and even bears. The hive also requires protection from the elements such as severe weather but does need to be accessible at all times of the year. Although bees are active only at certain times of the year, beekeeping itself is a full-time job!
Langstroth Hives
The universal standard in beekeeping hives is the Langstroth hive and this is what is most used in the United States. The Langstroth is a "movable frame" hive and the structure is wooden, rectangular and held inside are the combs. Generally, there are up to ten of these combs within the frame at any one time. The astonishing thing with these particular frames is that they don't have a top or bottom - the combs just hang inside of their own accord. The structure of the combs themselves is comprised of a sheet of wax or plastic. The wax sheets enable the bees to put together more wax to make the honeycomb. The bees will then deposit the honey and the pollen into the cells of the comb once complete. The design of the box is to allow the removal of the frames that are saturated with the honey that is to be extracted.
Top-Bar Hives
In Africa the top-bar hives are very common. For hobbyists, these are becoming more popular in the United States. Top-bar hives have bars along the top and the honey bees use the bars to suspend their wax combs from. As the frames used in a Langstroth hive can be re-used, the combs used on bars cannot be re-used following the extraction of the honey. This particular design does not support the high production of honey. The value of a top-bar is that the honey that comes from the clear yellow combs is of the highest possible quality and can be sold as an in-comb honey food product.
The Placement of Your Hive
When one is considering keeping a beehive on the property, there are other factors that come into play other than the design of the hive itself. First, a beekeeper needs to look at the local government guidelines to see if there any restrictions to actually keeping bees. The space available on your block of land and the placement of the hive also need to be looked at. A bee hive should not be placed in close proximity to homes, schools or other obvious places of recreation such as parks. Some people find bees bothersome, particularly for those who are known to suffer allergies to the sting of a bee. It's advised to place a beehive close to where the bees can easily get to a food source. In some cases, beekeepers use their bees purely to pollinate their crops. Preferably, a beehive should be close to fresh water. The beekeeper can provide this if a natural source is not available. Something else to think about concerning the position of the hive are predators such as skunks, racoons and even bears. The hive also requires protection from the elements such as severe weather but does need to be accessible at all times of the year. Although bees are active only at certain times of the year, beekeeping itself is a full-time job!
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